Pub of the Year

Today the Evening Standard launches its search for the Pub and Bar of the Year - and your vote will help create the shortlist from the 10 contenders in each category

THE PUBS

ANCHOR & HOPE
36 The Cut, SE1 (020 7928 9898) Text vote "esp01" to 82222
Formerly Bar Citrus, the Anchor & Hope has returned to traditional pub roots by providing an almost workaday atmosphere but with a seriously good food and ale offering - the excellent Charles Wells beers are on tap. A small, open kitchen relentlessly churns out highbrow English fare, meaning the Anchor & Hope really is a cut above its neighbouring restaurants.

ANDER DE BRIDGE
42-44 Kingsland Road, E2 (020 7739 3863) Text vote "esp02" to 82222
On the lower reaches of Kingsland Road, and located under a bridge, from which it takes its name, this pub is a chilled, fashionably scruffy, Caribbean affair. There's a lounge bar at the front serving some dangerously strong cocktails, and a cafeteria-style area at the back of the pub for traditional Caribbean fare.

THE BLACK LION
274 Kilburn High Road, NW6 (020 7624 1424) Text vote "esp03" to 82222
With the careful restoration of this former workaday pub complete, the wonderfully ornate gilded ceiling and friezes make for a breathtaking spectacle of interior design. A neatly partitioned-off restaurant area is serving some ambitious modern British dishes, but the pubby bit remains every inch a locals' local.

THE DRUNKEN MONKEY
222 Shoreditch High Street, E1 (020 7392 9606) Text vote "esp04" to 82222
With the rest of Shoreditch's pubs and bars hurtling towards the homogenous, The Drunken Monkey makes for a refreshing change for those on the City fringes. This former lap-dancing venue has been artistically redecorated and transformed into a Chinese-style eating and drinking den. Great dim sum.

THE EARL SPENCER
262 Merton Road, SW18 (020 8870 9244) Text vote "esp05" to 82222
The gastro desert that was Southfields now has a superior pub serving fabulously good food. It's a proper old-fashioned boozer at heart, though, it is understated in its design, and has as good a wine and beer offering as you will find in any London pub.

THE HOUSE
63-69 Canonbury Road, N1 (020 7704 7410) Text vote "esp06" to 82222
No doubt buoyed by its proximity to last year's Pub of the Year winner, The Draper's Arms, The House is pulling out all the stops on the gastro front and it already has a loyal following of foodie devotees who admire its modern British cuisine. There's a groovy bar area set away from the dining space. Stunningly good food.

THE IDLE HOUR
62-63 Railway Side, SW13 (020 8878 5555) Text vote "esp07" to 82222
One of south-west London's best-kept secrets, this small, endearing pub is well off the beaten path. Organic drinks (for the most part), and homemade organic food is offered daily. Such is the popularity of their Sunday roasts that booking is essential.

KING'S HEAD
The Green, Winchmore Hill, N21 (020 8886 1988) Text vote "esp08" to 82222
Take a turn around the pretty green in Winchmore Hill and you'll come across this handsome, confident-looking pub. Last year it was given a contemporary makeover, and local residents were united in their praise for the place. A smart dining area is sectioned off from the main bar.

THE ROCKET
11 Churchfield Road, W3 (020 8993 6123) Text vote "esp09" to 82222
This is an unpretentious, understated, contemporary pub on a busy stretch of road close to Acton Central railway station. The Rocket offers a fabulous range of New and Old World wines to complement its restaurantquality food.